Bathtub lift



y 1968. w. A. DANlELS 'E-TAL 3,381,317

BATHTUB LIFT 3 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Sept. 29, 1965 WILLIAM A. DANIELS,JR.

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ATTORNEY May 7, 1968 w. A. DANIELS ETAL 3,331,317

I BATHTUB LIFT Filed Sept. 29, 1965 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS WILL/AMA. DANIELS WILLIAM A; DAN/5L5, JR. :Ezg &

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amwm 60M ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,381,317 BATHTUB LIFT WilliamA. Daniels, 1031 Seven Hills Drive, and William A. Daniels, Jr., 942Simich Drive, both of Seven Hills, Ohio 44131 Filed Sept. 29, 1965, Ser.No. 491,115 7 Claims. (Cl. 4-185) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A bath tublift including a fluid operated, vertically movable piston having a seatoperatively connected thereto for lowering and raising of the seat intoand out of abath tub.

This invention relates generally, as indicated, to a bath tub lift and,more particularly, to certain improvements in bathtub lifts, especiallyof the type disclosed in the patent to William A. Daniels, patent No.3,078,473, granted Feb. 26, 1963.

In such prior patent, there is disclosed a bath tub lift having a seatwhich may automatically be lowered or raised to assist an invalid orincapacitated person in entering and leaving a bath tub. The bathtublift can be operated by any convenient source of houehold waterpressure, such as is supplied by the tub water spout, for example, andis extremely simple in construction, light in weight, and easilyinstalled on almost any type of bathtub.

While the bathtub lift of the aforementioned Daniels patent has provento he quite satisfactory in use, it has been found that the apparatusfor supporting the lift on a tub is somewhat cumbersome. Also, there issome danger of pinching by the moving parts of the lift mechanism.Morever, although the seat of the Daniels patent cannot be inadvertentlylowered when pivoted over the side of the tub, no provision is made forlocking the seat against inward pivotal movement when in such position,which may be desirable so as to provide a rigid support against which aninvalid can lean while lowering and raising himself onto and off theseat.

It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide animproved bathtub lift with a simplified clamping means for clamping thelift directly to a bathtub.

Another object is to provide such a bathtub lift with a cover member forconcealing substantially all of the moving parts of the lift mechanismto thereby eliminate any possibility of being pinched during use of thelift.

Still another object is to provide such a lift with novel means forlocking the seat against both vertical and horizontal movement whenpositioned over the side of the tub, thereby providing a rigid supportfor an invalid when lowering and raising himself onto and off of theseat.

A further object is to provide such a lift as described above with novelmeans for attaching the seat to the lift mechanism.

Yet another object is to provide such a lift with novel means forpermitting the escape of any fluid which seeps past the piston of thelift mechanism where, if permitted to accumulate, it would interferewith the proper functioning of the lift.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, the invention,then, comprises the features hereinafter fully described andparticularly pointed out in the claims, the following description andthe annexed drawing setting forth in detail a certain illustrativeembodiment of the invention, this being indicative, however, of

but one of the various ways in which the principle of the invention maybe employed.

In said annexed drawing:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a preferred form of bathtublift in accordance with the present invention shown mounted on a bathtubwith the seat of the lift in the raised position above the tub;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIG. 1, but with theseat in the swung out position extending over the side of the tub;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view similar to FIGS. 1 and 2, butshowing the seat in the lowered position within the tub;

FIG. 4 is a side elevation of such bathtub lift;

FIG. 5 is atop plan view of such lift;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary vertical section taken on the plane of the line6-6 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary front elevation of such lift, partially brokenaway to show the connection between the piston rod and the cylinder wallof the lift mechanism; and

FIG. 8 is a horizontal section taken on the plane of the line 8--8 ofFIG. 7.

Turning now more particularly to the drawing, and first of all to FIGS.1-3, a preferred form of bathtub lift in accordance with the presentinvention is generally indicated at 1 and comprises a lift mechanism 2supported on the upper edge 3 of a conventional type bath tub 5preferably at the end 6 opposite the tub faucet (not shown), and a seat7 carried by a seat frame 8 operatively connected to the lift mechanism2, in a manner which will be more fully described hereafter. The seat 7is adapted to be moved to one of three operative positions; a raisedposition above the tub 5 as illustrated in FIG. 1; a swung out positionover the edge of the tub as illustrated in FIG. 2; and a loweredposition within the tub as illustrated in FIG. 3;

The lift mechanism 2 for effecting movement of the seat 7 to suchvarious operative positions is perhaps best shown in FIGS. 6-8 andincludes a cylinder 9 in which there is slidably received a piston 10having a suitable packing 11 for making sealing contact with thecylinder wall, and a piston rod 12 extending upwardly from the piston10. Around the rod 12 and engaging the upper side of the piston 10 thereis a tubular member 13 held in position on the rod 12 as by means of acotter pin 14 extending through an aperture in the free end of the rod12 adjacent the upper end of the tube 13. The cylinder 9 has an axialslot 15 extending through the wall 16 thereof for a considerable length,beginning from a position just above the piston 10 when it is disposedin its up position with the end of the rod 12 adjacent the upper end ofthe cylinder 9 to a position spaced slightly below the upper end of thecylinder. As evident in FIG. 7, the slot 15 is actually T-shaped withthe short portion 17 of the slot 15 being located adjacent the top ofthe cylinder and having downward extensions 18 at its ends, for apurpose which will be made apparent in the discussion to follow.

A carrier tube 20 is slidably disposed about the cylinder 9 and isconnected to the upper end of the tube 13 and thus the piston rod 12 bymeans of a dog or projection 21 extending through the slot 15 andsuitably fastened to the tube 13 as by welding at 22 and to the carriertube 20 as by a suitable fastener 23. Accordingly, raising and loweringof the piston 10 within the cylinder 9 will cause like movements of thecarrier tube 20.

A yoke 25 for connecting the seat frame 8 to the lift mechanism 2 ismounted on the lower end of the carrier tube 20 by suitable fasteners26, the heads of which are flush with the inner surface of the carriertube so as not to interfere with its sliding movement along the cylinder9. As clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tubular members 30 and 31 ofthe seat frame 8 are attached to the ends of the yoke and extenddownwardly therefrom at an angle generally corresponding to the backsloping portion 32 of the tub 5 and then in a horizontal plane with thehorizontal ends 33 and 34 spread apart a distance sufiicient to receivethe seat 7 therebetween. The seat 7 is desirably disposed slightly belowthe plane of the horizontal ends 33 and 34 and is attached thereto bymeans of a plurality of clips 35, whereby such horizontal ends formsides for the seat 7 to assist in supporting an invalid on the seat. Formaintaining the tubular members and 31 in the desired spacialrelationship, there is a brace 36 interconnecting them.

While it is preferred that the seat 7 have the horseshoe configurationshown in the drawing, it should be understood that other seatconfigurations could be utilized without departing from the presentinvention. A cloth sling such as shown at 94 in the Daniels Patent No.3,078,473, for example, could be substituted for the horseshoe seat 7 ifdesired. 2

The Support frame 6 for mounting the bath tub lift 1 on the tub 5comprises a tubular member 40 having a generally U-shape configurationsimilar to the end 6 of the upper edge 3 of the tub 5 for engagementtherewith, and a V-shape brace 41 interconnecting the legs 42 and bightportion 43 of the tubular member 40 together. Both the tubular member 40and brace 41 are fixed to the lower end of the cylinder 9 as by welding,or the use of suitable fasteners. Also, a further brace 44 may extendbetween the legs 45 of the brace 41 and be attached to the cylinder 9 asat 46.

For rigidly clamping the support frame 6 to the walls 47 of the tub 5,tub clamps 48 are provided on the legs 45 of the main brace 41. As seenin FIGS. 1-5, the tub clamps 48 are mounted on the legs 45 for slidingmovement therealong toward and away from the walls of the tub 5, andhave bent ends 50 which are adapted to make good contact with the wallswhen pushed into engagement therewith. Also, set screws 51 (see FIG. 5)are provided for releasably clamping the tub clamps 48 when in positionengaging the tub walls 47. While not absolutely necessary, it ispreferred that the bent ends 50 of the tub clamps 48 be covered with avinyl coating, not only to prevent marring or scratching of the tub 5,but also to increase the gripping force exerted by the tub clamps 48against the tub.

As is now readily apparent, the support frame 6 and tub clamps 48 asdescribed provide a very simple and eflective means for quickly clampingand unclamping the bath tub lift 1 from the tub 5. Thus, to mount thebath tub lift 1 on the tub, it is only necessary to dispose the tubularmember 40 adjacent the end 6 of the tub with the legs 42 and bightportion 43 resting on the upper edge 3, slide the tub clamps 48outwardly until they firmly engage the sides of the tub, and tighten theset screws 51 so as to hold the tub clamps 48 firmly in place. To removethe bath tub lift 1, first the set screws 51 are unloosened, and thenthe tub clamps 48 are slid inwardly out of engagement with the walls ofthe tub, thus freeing the lift and permitting it to be removed by asimple lifting motion.

Actuation of the lift mechanism 2 is efiected by admitting a fluid suchas water under pressure into the lower end of the cylinder 9 through aninlet port 52 to act on the piston 10 to raise the same within thecylinder and thus raise the carrier tube 20 and seat 7. As previouslyindicated, household water pressure is suflicient to operate the liftmechanism. Accordingly, a supply line 53 attached to the inlet port 52may be connected to any convenient water outlet, such as the tub spout,for example, either by means of a valve such as shown at 53 in theDaniels Patent No 3,078,473, or by means of the novel control valve 54shown in FIG. 1 and fully disclosed in the copending application ofWilliam A. Daniels and William A.

4 Daniels, In, entitled Bath Lift Control Valve, filed even dateherewith.

Regardless of the type of control valve used, when water is admitted tothe lower end of the cylinder 9, the piston 10 and seat 7 are raised asaforesaid. Moreover, the seat 7 may be supported in any desired positionby the column of water in the cylinder 9 simply by shutting off the flowof water to the cylinder 9. Of course, if the inlet port 52 is connectedto drain, the piston 10 and seat 7 will drop, the rate depending on therate at which fluid is permitted to escape from the cylinder 9 throughsuch inlet port.

When the piston 10 is in the lowermost position shown in phantom linesin FIG. 6, it should be spaced slightly above the inlet port 52 so thatit does not block the same, as by providing the piston 10 with adownwardly turned flange 55.

In order to eliminate any possibility of being pinched by the movingparts of the lift mechanism 2, a cover 56 is disposed over the upperportion of the cylinder 9 and carrier tube 20, and extends downwardlyalmost to the bottom of the slot 15. The cap 57 of the cover 56 isattached to the cylinder head 58 as by means of rivets or screws 59.Moreover, as clearly shown in FIG. 6, the sides of the cover 56 arespaced somewhat from the walls of the carrier tube 20 to permit axialmovement of the carrier tube therewithin and also to provide apassageway for the flow of any fluid which seeps past the piston packing11 to the tub 5.

OPERATION Once the lift 1 is mounted on a bath tub in the mannerdescribed above, it can be made ready for use simply by connecting thesupply line 53 with the tub spout or the like (not shown) through acontrol valve such as indicated at 54 having at least three operatingpositions; a first position connecting the supply line with the watersource; a second position connecting the supply line with a drain; and athird position blocking the supply line. Accordingly, whenthe valve 54is moved to the first position, fluid is admitted to the cylinder 9through the inlet port 52 where it acts on the piston 10 to raise thepiston and thus the seat 7 until the dog 21 engages the top of the slot15. Then the supply line 53 is blocked by moving the valve to the thirdposition, and the entire seat supporting structure is pivoted about thevertical axis of the piston rod 12 in the desired direction until thedog 21 engages one of the ends of the short leg 17 of the slot 15 so asto position the seat 7 over the side of the tub 5. When in this outposition, the seat 7 may be locked against both inadvertent vertical andhorizontal movements if desired by moving the valve 54 to the secondposition to permit the escape of sufficient fiuid from the cylinder 9such that the dog 21 drops down into the extension 18 of the slot 15.Such locking of the seat 7 in place provides a rigid support for aninvalid when lowering and raising himself onto and off the seat.

With the invalid properly seated, the valve 54 is again moved to thefirst position communicating the inlet port 52 with the fluid supply toraise the dog 21 out of the extension 18 so that the seat 7 may bepivoted back to a position directly over the tub 5 with the dog 21 inline with the vertical portion of the slot 15. Then the valve 54 ismoved to conne'ct the supply line 53 with the drain, thereby permittingfluid to escape through the inlet port 52 and causing the seat 7 todescend into the tub. Of course, the seat can be held at any positiondesired simply by moving the valve 54 to the block or hold position toprevent escape of fluid through the supply line 53.

Upon completion of the bath, the seat is again raised by connecting thesupply line 5-3 with the fluid pressure source to cause the seat toraise out of the tub until the dog 21 engages the top of the slot 15,after which the seat 7 may be again pivoted over the side of the tub andthen moved into the lock position simply by connecting the supply line53 with the drain.

From the above discussion, it should now readily be apparent that thebathtub lift 1 of the present invention may be quickly and easily mounedon and removed from a bath tub, and without the nec-essity of having touse any special tools. Also, the seat of the lift may be lock-ed in theout position over the side of the tube so as to provide a rigid supportfor an invalid when getting .on or off the seat. Furthermore, theoperating parts of the lift are covered to guard against pinching, andyet any fluid which seeps past the piston of the lift mechanism mayreadily escape and flow down the side of the lift cylinder into the tub.

Other modes of applying the principles of the invention may be employed,change being made as regards the details described, provided thefeatures stated in any of the following claims or the equivalent of suchbe employed.

We, therefore, particularly point out and distinctly claim as ourinvention:

1. A bathtub lift comprising a seat, a hydraulically actuated means forraising and lowering said seat into and out of a bathtub, and means formounting said lift on a tub, comprising a U-shaped tubular member whichis adapted to be disposed on the edge of a tub adjacent one end thereof,angularly disposed brace means extending between the bight portion andlegs of said U-sh'ape tubular member, and clamping means mounted on saidbrace means for sliding movement therealong toward and away from thewalls of such tub, said clamp means being adapted to be releasablyclamped in position when in engagement with such side walls firmly tohold said bath tub lift in place.

2. A bathtub lift comprising a seat, a lift mechanism for raising andlowering said seat, means adapted to mount said bath tub lift on abathtub, said lift mechanism comprising a fluid cylinder, a pistonslidably received in said cylinder, a piston rod extending upwardly fromsaid piston a tubular member disposed around said piston rod andengaging the upper side of said piston, means mounting said tubularmember on said piston rod for movement therewith, a carrier tubeslidably received around said cylinder, a single guide slot extendingthrough the Wall of said cylinder on the side facing said seat, aconnecting member extending through said slot and conmeeting the upperend of said carrier tube with the upper end of said tubular member forguiding the movement of said carrier tube during movement of said pistonand piston rod, and means mounting said seat on said carrier tube.

3. The bathtub lift of claim 2 wherein said guide slot is T-shaped withthe long portion of said slot beingsubstantially vertical to causesubstantially vertical movement of said seat during raising and loweringof said piston, and the short portion of said slot extendingperpendicularly to said long portion adjacent the top of said cylinderto permit limited swinging movement of said seat when raised to aposition extending over one or the other of the sides of a bath tub,said short portion of said slot having downward extensions at its endsfor receipt of said connecting member when said seat is swung asaforesaid to lock said sea-t against both inadvertent downward andhorizontal swinging movements, thereby providing a rigid support for aperson when lowering and raising himself onto and off of said sea't.

4. The bathtub lift of claim 1 wherein said clamp means includedownwardly extending end portions bent to conform to the side walls ofthe tub for mating contact therewith, said bent end portions having avinyl coating thereon to enhance the gripping force exerted by saidclamp means against such tub side walls.

5. A bathtub lift comprising a seat, a lift mechanism for raising andlowering said seat, and mean-s for mounting said lift mechanism on abath tub, said lift mechanism comprising a fluid cylinder, a pistonslidably received in said cylinder, and means mounting said seat on saidlift mechanism for movement with said piston, including a carrier tubeslidably received around said cylinder, a guide slot extending throughthe wall of said cylinder, a piston rod extending upwardly from saidpiston, means interconnecting said piston rod and carrier tube andextending through said guide slot for guiding the movement of saidcarrier tube during movement of said piston and piston rod, meansmounting said seat on said carrier tube, said slot being T-shaped withthe long portion of said slot substantially vertical to causesubstantially vertical movement of said seat during raising and loweringof said piston, and the short portion of said slot extendingperpendicular to said long portion adjacent the top of said cylinder topermit limited swinging movement of said seat when raised to a positionextending over one or the other of the sides of the tub, said shortportion of said slot having downward extensions at its ends for receiptof said guide means when said seat is swung as aforesaid to lock saidseat against both inadvertent downward and horizontal swingingmovements, thereby providing a rigid support for a person when loweringand raising himself onto and off of said seat.

6. A bathtub lift comprising a seat, a lift mechanism for raising andlowering said seat, and means for mounting said lift mechanism on abathtub, said lift mechanism comprising a fluid cylinder, a pistonslidably received in said cylinder, and means mounting said seat on saidlift mechanism for movement with said piston, including a carrier tubeslidably received around said cylinder, a guide slot extending throughthe wall of said cylinder, a piston rod extending upwardly from saidpiston, means interconnecting said piston rod and carrier tube andextending through said guide slot for guiding the movement of saidcarrier tube during movement of said piston rod, means mounting saidseat on said carrier tube, and a cover disposed over the upper end ofsaid cylinder and carrier tube and extending along said cylindersubstantially the entire length of said slot so as to substantiallyeliminate any possibility of being pinched by the moving parts of saidlift mechanism, there being suflicient clearance between said cover andcarrier tube to permit axial movement therebetween and to provide apassageway for the flow of fluid which may seep past said piston.

7. A bathtub lift comprising a lift mechanism, means mounting said liftmechanism on a bathtub, a seat, and a frame means operatively connectingsaid seat to said lift mechanism for movement therewith, comprising apair of tubular members attached to said lift mechanism, said tubularmembers extending downwardly from said lift mechanism at an angle topermit lowering of said tubular members into the bathtub, said tubularmembers having horizontally extending lower ends spread apartsufliciently to receive said seat therebetween, and a brace 'betweensaid tubular members interconnecting said horizontal ends behind saidseat, said seat being disposed slightly below the plane of saidhorizontal ends and attached thereto by a plurality of clips connectedto the side and back edges of said seat.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,060,590 11/1936 Padgett188-88505 2,087,451 7/1937 Rossman et al. 188-88505 2,582,586 1/.1952Dorr 4-185 2,779,949 2/1957' Crispen 4185 3,078,473 2/1963 Daniels 4-1853,188,657 6/1965 Cotner 4-185 3,256,036 6/1966 Nolan 4-185 3,280,40910/1966 Cotner 4-185 3,286,970 11/1966 Nolan 4-185 LAV-ERNE D. GEIGBR,Primary Examiner. D. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner.-

